Manhattan Mouthspace Two Poem by Thomas Kling

1

dead land, an algorhythmic wind
and everything as if coated in breadcrumbs.

busy
the continually looping eye.


2

a loop can be
a screw or a magnifying glass;
the screw turns
in

straight into this


3

this tongue, this
manhattan-witness, everything from
everything as good as from

first or looped hand


4

the tongue's protocol:
blank lists.
excerpt:

sword of light
vengeance-psalm-particle
sura of light low and

everyone sat tight -
hands on the car bonnet:
day in september
as given
this is the signature
of history;
blown blowing unblown
looping looped down

eye-caricature


5

the eyes have it!

the eyes full of activity so
we sat tight in the lofty oven

in our head in our head


6

couldn't stir and there were five sat
laying on top of me I call again
and the

ceiling

comes down


7

we lay by the waters of the hudson
and cryed sura of light down; impossible

to say it. zero
visibility, we had zero visibility.


8

... and we settled in the air


9

light went away only din
and we settled in the air
as on an island

unblown

and alone


10

as short flour


11

a short flour, then, under the profile, and in it the witness regulation,
the christian name, and the occasionally photographed is called
an angel; a resident of the air; stylites - as it says here. a staring
(smouldering) , a looped writing. where currently a helper or
rescuer so-called eyewitness just briefly, in passing -
sidewalk - supplied THE DATE; the row of figures on the car
licence plate: THE HISTORICAL PICTURE OF MANHATTAN'S
DEAD ZONE


12

which dances - brownian motion - before these
smouldering looped eyes


13

OH the mute finger is the pilgrim hurrying by, who knows to sign his name
in the quiet, the scratched bodywork, in the dead flour, woe, in this death flour.


14

helper in need


15

new cryptography. lists.
accelerated copying.

wings visible and
palpable the propellered head;
partial head at that: the limbic system
strikes; little memoria machine kickstarts.

you unhappy eyes


16

sura of light down,
preussag down and munich re-drifting


17

the wind passes over the land. drilled granite. the looping
particles. or tongues sinking in gullets in gurgling
gulches. just to rest; to lave eyes; change
clothes; to so much as set foot at home
again. at last.


18

all this mouthspace


19

forest of stylites
sinks and sinks on many

shoulders, thumbthick.


20

this bitter flour the wind blows over,
soft algorhythm wind

the wind of manhattan


21

oh! the wind coming

off the hudson

Translation Michael Hofmann